If your kids have ever been on malaria pills...

[Farrar]

Which ones? Did they upchuck them right after taking them or did they keep them down? Other side effects?

 

So not looking forward to this aspect of an upcoming trip. :(

[LG Gone Wild]

I took them as a kid. My husband took meftholquin (sp?). So NASTY. My dad tried pulverizing them in ice cream, soda, chocolate, whatever. He just gave up. I am lucky to have never contracted it.

 

I think that there is some indication is can mess with your eyesight.

[Mrs Mungo]

No, my kids never have, but the meds make my dh extremely sick.

[Farrar]

I took them as a kid. My husband took meftholquin (sp?). So NASTY. My dad tried pulverizing them in ice cream, soda, chocolate, whatever. He just gave up. I am lucky to have never contracted it.

 

I think that there is some indication is can mess with your eyesight.

 

Yeah, the mefloquine is the one that sounds by far the nastiest. After reading about it, there's no way I'm putting that in my kids if we can avoid it. The other option is more expensive, but oh well.

 

We're going to get the scrip tomorrow. Blech.

[SonshineLearner]

I've heard there's something natural. My friend's friend used them....

[Lilymax]

Do they prescribe Plaquenil for this? I've been off and on it for years, for an autoimmune condition. I was always told it's an anti-malarial.

 

It definitely makes me nauseated (hence, the off-and-on)...but I've never thrown it up.

[LG Gone Wild]

Yeah, the mefloquine is the one that sounds by far the nastiest. After reading about it, there's no way I'm putting that in my kids if we can avoid it. The other option is more expensive, but oh well.

 

We're going to get the scrip tomorrow. Blech.

 

That's the one my husband had to take as a marine. There is another that State Department used that tended to cause nightmares.

 

OTH, malaria is worse. :grouphug:

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yes, my kids took them when we went to the Philippines. Banana seemed to work the best for us to crush and mash it in. But we still had throwing up at times. If your children are able to swallow pills it is so much easier. Mine couldn't at that time so we had to go with the crush and try to hide it route.

[msk]

Which drug is it? I've tried lots of them. :tongue_smilie: I think I remember taking most of them after meals because of stomach upset issues, I'm not surprised it's worse for kids.

 

Lariam (mefloquine) made me feel pretty queasy, but I always kept it down. Unfortunately it eventually gave me unpleasant hallucinations (something that's relatively rare but turns out to run in my family), so I switched to a chloroquine-paludrine combo that year.

 

Another year, I started with doxycycline, another one I remember needing to take with food. Unfortunately that made me incredibly sensitive to sunburn, which was a big problem as I was working outdoors all day, every day. That year I switched to Malarone (atovaquone), which was quite expensive but had no side effects at all for me. I don't remember having any problem with queasiness with that, but it's been a few years.

 

Good luck with this! I seemed to be particularly unlucky in the antimalarial reaction department, hopefully your experience will be better. On the other hand, I never got malaria, so I was quite lucky in the grand scheme of things!

 

 

ETA: I'm pretty sure Lariam is a brand-name mefloquine, maybe mixed with something else? Anyway, as LG mentioned that particular one causes unusually vivid and unpleasant nightmares in many people, but if you're super-extra-lucky they progress to hallucinations. I'd personally lean towards Malarone for kids if you can afford it, but I'm not a doctor and there are probably things to consider I don't know anything about.

Edited January 25, 2012 by msk

[VeganCupcake]

I took doxycycline and didn't throw them up. I think they gave me a touch of diarrhea and I was sensitive to the sun, but nothing too bad.

[Farrar]

I'm going to see if dh and I can do the doxy because it's so cheap. I've done it before and I know it makes me sick, but I think I can deal with it. It's not horrible sick, just yucky feeling in the morning after taking it. But children 8 and under can't take it. Something about bone development, so I assume that might be a little important.

 

I'm pretty sure the kids are going to do malarone though. Ugh, the expense. But it's better than malaria. Duh.

[Jann in TX]

We went to Uganda and Kenya this past summer.

My dds and DH took Malerone- absolutely no problems. We were gone for 3 weeks so they took it for one month total.

 

I took Malerone on my first trip-- I was SO ILL that I stopped taking it half-way through the trip (we were in a very very low risk area). This time, since we were going to high-risk areas I opted to take doxy. I also took a good pro-biotic and I had no ill side effects!

[TheReader]

I don't know where you are going, or for how long, but we did a two week (one week? don't remember now...) trip to the Amazon where we did go fairly off the beaten path. Anyway, we were all set to do the anti-malaria drugs and our doctor actually encouraged us to not for that short of a time.

 

His reasoning was we could just be super vigilant about using insect repellant and then watch, *closely* for any symptoms and then treat the malaria IF it developed (it didn't) (we went through roughly a small can of Off every 2 days though between all 5 of us......) because the drugs are, in his words, Nasty and Potent. He figured better to avoid the poisons of the drugs and only take if necessary after.

 

Now, that might not be something you are willing to risk, if so, no problem I obviously respect that and depending on where you're going, maybe that's not a viable option anyway. But, just in case, if it's a short term trip you could probably skip it and just really hyper bug spray instead.

[Lizzie in Ma]

My dd is on Plaquenil, though for Lyme, not malaria.

I honestly can't tell if it affects her or if it is her other meds or her Lyme.

She does have to go to the eye doctor every 6 months though, it can cause a retina issue I'm told.

[GailV]

My dd is on Plaquenil, though for Lyme, not malaria.

I honestly can't tell if it affects her or if it is her other meds or her Lyme.

She does have to go to the eye doctor every 6 months though, it can cause a retina issue I'm told.

 

That's interesting -- dh is on doxycycline for Lyme. And dd is supposed to get it for malaria when she goes to DR in March. I didn't realize that other anti-malarial drugs were also used for Lyme.

 

The doxycycline makes dh nauseous when he takes it with Cat's Claw -- I think it's an overload at that point. He's worried about how dd will react to it. Most of the people we know who've done the doxycycline haven't had a problem (this is an annual trip for our high school students -- dd's first year to go on it).

[DawnM]

I know I took something else my last trip but for the life of me I can't remember the name. No side effects that I can recall.

 

When I was a child we always took Cloroquine. It only made me sick once and the problem was dizziness and vision issues. No nausea.

[stripe]

I had syrup that I bought while abroad. I think one was coconut flavored. It smelled like sunscreen. My kid hated it. I mean, hated it. But that was the taste. It did not cause diarrhea at all. One thing you could consider (although maybe this is not practical) is buying medicine while there, in addition to what you've got going. You have to buy from a reliable source and all that, but there are more options.

 

I took pills that I brought from the US and they have me diarrhea (? But not exactly sure,it could also have been the water at play) but no dreams or hallucinations. I only took antimalaria medicine that time, but I have never gotten it.

 

Seriously, though, do your best to prevent your kids getting bitten as well. Being covered with bites is generally awful. Or ant bites. Those stink too.

 

Insects are very happy in hot climates. It is really amazing. It makes me frankly a bit freaked out about where all the American bugs are.

Edited January 25, 2012 by stripe

[TheReader]

Another thought....could the doctor also prescribe something to counter the upset stomach? Phenegrine tablets or suppositories, or a stomach coating something to take before the malaria meds, or something? If you aren't comfortable foregoing the anti-malaria stuff, maybe that is an option??

[sassenach]

Dd14 took Malerone on her trip to India last summer. She had no problems on it.

[LMA]

My husband and I took a pill, but I don't remember the name. We did not get sick from the drug nor did it taste bad to us. It was just another pill. We both got bitten several times while in Tanzania, but we did not get malaria. The mosquitos are everywhere even in the hotel rooms. The driver for our safari vehicle told us he had malaria three times and he almost died each time. So taking the meds is better than getting the disease.

[Cammie]

I took Larium years ago when I used to take malaria drugs when I went to India. It made me really sick to the stomach...and then my hair started falling out...and then the rest of the kids I was studying in India with had the same symptoms. I never took it again. I had to weigh the risks (really low in the areas of India that I am in) against the other risks (some really scary side effects of the meds) and for me I gave up the meds. I am not making light of malaria. My father got it in the 1970's and will still have relapses sometimes. I do feel that the medicines have gotten stronger and stronger and are really quite toxic at this time. Just my two cents.

[MamaT]

I think what my kids and dh have taken are Quinine pills? So far it hasn't made anyone sick.

[prairiewindmomma]

I've taken plaquenil.....nausea but not vomiting. After a few weeks, the nausea lessened.

[J-rap]

My daughter just finished a round of Mefloquine; she had been taking it for five months (when living in West Africa). She never had any problems with it at all, and it was just one pill, once/week. Most of the students in her program were taking the same thing -- that one seemed to be the most commonly used one. One side effect is that you can have vivid dreams with it, apparently. My daughter never did, but some of her friends did.

 

If you get a lot of headaches or have seizures, a different one (that you take once/day, perhaps?) is usually recommended. My sister (who was living in East Africa) had to take this one since she had epilepsy. No side effects for her.

 

I think when my husband and I lived in the Middle East early in our marriage, we took chloroquine with no side effects. I don't think that one is offered anymore!

 

Perhaps certain ones are recommended depending on the area where you are traveling?

[Murphy101]

Completely not relevant, but at first glance, I thought you were putting a child on marijuana pills!:tongue_smilie:

[Mom-ninja.]

My cousin went to South America for a year. He got a vaccine to prevent malaria. It didn't work. He got it anyway.

 

Are the pills more effective?

[SailorMom]

We all took Choloroquin. It's once a week, and none of us had any side effects at all.

These won't work anymore in certain parts of the world. May want to consider Malarone if that's the case.

[MamaT]

My cousin went to South America for a year. He got a vaccine to prevent malaria. It didn't work. He got it anyway.

 

Are the pills more effective?

 

I don't know. My ds took the pills and got Malaria anyway when he went out of the country a couple of years ago.

[Lizzie in Ma]

That's interesting -- dh is on doxycycline for Lyme. And dd is supposed to get it for malaria when she goes to DR in March. I didn't realize that other anti-malarial drugs were also used for Lyme.

 

The doxycycline makes dh nauseous when he takes it with Cat's Claw -- I think it's an overload at that point. He's worried about how dd will react to it. Most of the people we know who've done the doxycycline haven't had a problem (this is an annual trip for our high school students -- dd's first year to go on it).

 

She is also on Biaxin, the plaquenil is supposed to break up it's cyst form.

That is why it is hard to tell which med is making her stomach a mess or if it is the disease itself.

My younger one had doxy for her Lyme and it was really hard on her tummy.

[SailorMom]

I don't know. My ds took the pills and got Malaria anyway when he went out of the country a couple of years ago.

 

Yeah - there are quite a few places where certain drugs are no longer effective. There is also a certain percentage of fail rate even with the ones that are effective still.

The CDC has a website with a map with regions in different colors, showing the risks, and which drugs will no longer work.

Even on malaria pills, the best prevention is not to get bit (yeah - I know - easier said than done).

[stripe]

Nets on the bed. Nets on the bed. Nets on the bed.

 

Even if you're taking pills.

[tuzor]

We used a pill but I can't remember which on trip to Nigeria for 24 days. We tried everything, mashing pill putting in a drink and putting it over certain foods. But after about 12 days our kids refused anything with the pill inside so we stopped giving it to them. Thankfully no one got malaria. We will be going to Nigeria agian probably longer than 24 days and I am not sure how what we are going to do. If you have a choice can you plan your trip during a time that's not as rainy. I have told my husband we can go to Nigeria and spend a chunck of time only during the dry season, when we are less likely to be biten.

[Farrar]

I don't know where you are going, or for how long, but we did a two week (one week? don't remember now...) trip to the Amazon where we did go fairly off the beaten path. Anyway, we were all set to do the anti-malaria drugs and our doctor actually encouraged us to not for that short of a time.

 

His reasoning was we could just be super vigilant about using insect repellant and then watch, *closely* for any symptoms and then treat the malaria IF it developed (it didn't) (we went through roughly a small can of Off every 2 days though between all 5 of us......) because the drugs are, in his words, Nasty and Potent. He figured better to avoid the poisons of the drugs and only take if necessary after.

 

Now, that might not be something you are willing to risk, if so, no problem I obviously respect that and depending on where you're going, maybe that's not a viable option anyway. But, just in case, if it's a short term trip you could probably skip it and just really hyper bug spray instead.

 

That is, indeed, the advice I really wanted someone to give me. :tongue_smilie: But no one did. I asked about it on a travel board and you'd have thought I had asked if it was okay to smother my children in their beds while they sleep. Sigh. But some of it really is sooooo nasty and really expensive to boot! The military has apparently cut back on its use of mefloquine because some families blame it for loved ones' suicides:001_huh:. Malaria is nothing to mess with, but neither are mind altering, brain effecting drugs.

 

But the malarone sounds okay. Fingers crossed because that's what the travel doctor gave us.

 

Thanks for the advice. :001_smile:

[msk]

Regarding the "no drugs" issue, again I'm no doctor, but I think there are some strains of malaria that can be cured by drug treatments if you get them, and others that cannot be permanently cured. So, this would very much depend on which strains are around where you are going. It sounds like where TheReader went, it was permanently curable. In the part of Ethiopia where I was, if you did get malaria you would most likely have a series of relapses throughout your life. A friend of mine got it (in spite of Lariam-- she got lots of bites) and has had a bad relapse about once a year ever since. She can be symptom-free for very long periods, but it will never completely go away. Anyway, this is definitely something you'd need to know more about before deciding.

Edited January 25, 2012 by msk
spelling, grr

[Annie Laurie]

 

Insects are very happy in hot climates. It is really amazing. It makes me frankly a bit freaked out about where all the American bugs are.

 

They're all in Texas. :glare:

[stripe]

They're all in Texas. :glare:

 

Yeah, now that I think about it, my husband felt right at home in Tennessee. He said the flies were huge.

 

On one trip abroad, I started to get near panicky from the sound of flies buzzing around my food. Yech.

 

I also paid about a dollar each at a hospital to get a malaria test. I wanted to be sure I didn't have it before going home. American hospitals know nothing about it.

Edited January 25, 2012 by stripe

[Farrar]

They're not all in Texas. I think at least half of them are in my tiny backyard.:glare:

 

One nice thing is that in the last decade, I've gotten used to those dreadful tiger mosquitoes here. They never sleep. When I realized that the bugs in Africa actually sleep n th day like mosquitoes should, I felt a bit better.

 

DEET is gross too, but better DEET than eat.

[LG Gone Wild]

They're not all in Texas. I think at least half of them are in my tiny backyard.:glare:

 

One nice thing is that in the last decade, I've gotten used to those dreadful tiger mosquitoes here. They never sleep. When I realized that the bugs in Africa actually sleep n th day like mosquitoes should, I felt a bit better.

 

DEET is gross too, but better DEET than eat.

 

BTW, mossies in Africa can bite through jeans. Don't feel that happy. ;)

[ZooRho]

That is, indeed, the advice I really wanted someone to give me. :tongue_smilie: But no one did. I asked about it on a travel board and you'd have thought I had asked if it was okay to smother my children in their beds while they sleep. Sigh. But some of it really is sooooo nasty and really expensive to boot! The military has apparently cut back on its use of mefloquine because some families blame it for loved ones' suicides:001_huh:. Malaria is nothing to mess with, but neither are mind altering, brain effecting drugs.

 

But the malarone sounds okay. Fingers crossed because that's what the travel doctor gave us.

 

Thanks for the advice. :001_smile:

 

We lived in Uganda for a year we didn't take drugs and none of us got malaria either.

[ZooRho]

We lived in Uganda for a year we didn't take drugs and none of us got malaria either.

 

Oh I attribute it to the 1,000 bats living in the neighbors attic and eating garlic toast every day.

[tuzor]

Oh I attribute it to the 1,000 bats living in the neighbors attic and eating garlic toast every day.

 

Wow, whatever works. :lol:

[ZooRho]

Wow, whatever works. :lol:

 

yeah it was a bit freaky to find out what the cricket noise was and then to realize that was what was leaving their house in droves every night.

[tex-mex]

My husband and I took a pill, but I don't remember the name. We did not get sick from the drug nor did it taste bad to us. It was just another pill. We both got bitten several times while in Tanzania, but we did not get malaria. The mosquitos are everywhere even in the hotel rooms. The driver for our safari vehicle told us he had malaria three times and he almost died each time. So taking the meds is better than getting the disease.

:iagree:

Son and I both have Hemoglobin C trait (HbC) which "helps" with Malaria -- as the blood is sickled (related to sickle cell anemia). But one can still be ill with Malaria, regardless.

 

I agree on being precautious (even with our so-called genetic "immunity" to full blown Malaria) and take the meds. We would.

[Anne in CA]

To go on Safari in Nepal we took Malarone. It is EXTREMELY expensive, but our insurance paid for it. DH, DSD and I loved it. Everyone else on that trip took Larium and many of them had small problems. We had no side effects. We took Larium to go to Tanzania because it is a fraction of the cost. None of us got sick from it, although my son felt a little dizzy right after taking it twice.

[stripe]

I highly recommend this book, frankly it's useful whether you travel or not, but especially for those who travel internationally: Take Your Pediatrician With You. I wn two copies (yes, I take one with me when I go abroad!). The author lived in S. Africa, has experience with international adoptions, and understands the concerns of BOTH families of immigrants traveling to the parent's home country AND regular tourist issues. The book covers regular old illnesses like sore throats, vomiting, and so forth, as well as things that come up in some developing countries or when traveling like jetlag (inc how to handle with a child with special needs). It is just a great book. I found the advice on helping with vomiting to be fantastic. i don't want to go on and on about it, but seriously, get this book. I think it is a book every parent can get something out of.